Sainsbury’s has become the first of the major supermarkets to commit to phasing out multi-buy deals, after mounting evidence that shoppers find them confusing and misleading. 

Multi-buys, such as two-for-one deals, will be scrapped by the supermarket in favour of lower prices. The majority of Sainsbury’s buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) deals will be terminated by August, and the process of eliminating them will start next month.

Paul Mills-Hicks, Sainsbury’s food commercial director, said: “Customer shopping habits have changed significantly in recent years, with people shopping more frequently, often seeking to buy what they need at that moment.

“Our customers have told us that multi-buy promotions don’t meet their shopping needs today, are often confusing and create challenges at home in terms of storage and waste.”

The announcement comes as the government’s competition watchdog prepares to issue a new pricing rulebook to retailers, designed to ensure shoppers are not misled.